


Honesty does not come naturally to us all

by Kayauss



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-07
Updated: 2017-07-07
Packaged: 2018-11-28 20:07:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11425245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kayauss/pseuds/Kayauss
Summary: The Bureau's finest Seeker has been given his first mission since beginning his training in wizardry. Taako teaches. Magnus trains. Merle stays out of the way. And does Angus become closer to the boys? Find out this time on... The Adventure Zone!_Exploring Angus' relationship with Tres Horny Boys, and everyone on the moonbase, but especially Taako. Main story takes place during Lunar Interlude III, through the events of The Eleventh Hour, and into Lunar Interlude IV, though implied spoiler warnings through the Stolen Century apply.





	Honesty does not come naturally to us all

**Author's Note:**

> Credit to my betas, [ hedda ](http://archiveofourown.org/users/xskyxpiratex/profile) and [ xskyxpiratex ](archiveofourown.org/users/xskyxpiratex/profile) these idiots were a big help and I love them
> 
> But not as much as I love Angus McDonald.

“Agnes,” Taako calls, eyes gleaming mischievously, “Are you ready to move onto the next step in your magical apprenticeship?” Dazzling sparks fly from his fingertips as he talks, emphasizing his words. He could always put on a show for a crowd - even if it was a crowd of one.

“Oh, yes sir! Yes! I'm _so_ ready!” The ten year old apprentice bounced in place as he responded, unable to contain his excitement. “Are we finally going to be learning level one spells? Please say we are, sir! _Please!_ ”

Taako couldn't keep a small smile from gracing his lips at the over enthusiastic response; he turned it into a smirk, lest someone think he was amused by the little brat. “ _Great_ deduction, Holmes.” Taako rummaged through his bag as he spoke. “You've done a bang up job learning those cantrips these last two weeks, so Taako's gonna start putting some useful spells in your magical armoire! Now, what spell do you think we will be starting with, Mr. Detective?” He spread what looked like – to a non wizard – random objects from his bag onto the desk in front of him. “Here are your clues, _Caitlyn_ _Cleaves_.”

“ _Caleb_ _Cleveland_ , sir.” Angus rolled his eyes, scanning the spell components laid out on the desk as he corrected Taako. He knew the elf was messing up his favorite book character's name to get a rise out of him, anyways. Some of the components he recognized – a sticky eyelash for _Invisibility_ , a pinch of sulfur for _Fireball_ , a piece of a squid's tentacle that looked suspiciously like left over calamari for _Evard's Black Tentacles_ – and some he did not. A twisted loop of parchment, some soft clay, a lime, and a very glittery gem stone. If he didn't even recognize what some of these were for, then...

He frowned a little, scanning the items once more before answering. “I'm -I'm not sure, sir. All these components are for spells higher than level one.”

Taako grinned, “You are _absolutely_ right, Ango! You've solved my spell component puzzle! So,” he rested his hand on his chin as he continued speaking, “What first level spell might be useful to a detective that doesn't require any of the spell components on the table?” His teacher asked, eyebrow raised.

A challenge.

Angus bit his lip, rubbed his chin, almost mirroring his mentor, and looked down at the floor as he thought of the first level spells he had studied.

It was a big list; he had done a lot of studying. “Doesn't use the components on the table... So are the components... verbal or somatic...?” Taako hummed; Angus was pretty sure that meant he was warm. “... _Both_ verbal and somatic?” A more affirmative hum. Angus tapped his chin thoughtfully, head cocked. “A few spells fall under those criteria, sir. Can you tell me the school of magic?”

Taako thought about it for a moment before responding; Angus couldn't be sure if the elf was debating whether he should even give him a hint, or if he'd just forgotten the school of magic. “Illusion.” Taako finally said, drawing out the first vowel playfully.

Angus looked up, smiling brightly. “ _Disguise Self_?” He was sure he had it now. “That's a very important one for sleuthing.”

Taako grinned, “Right you are, Angle! You're – you're a right angle.” Taako snorted at his own joke, and Angus gave him a big smile, happy for any praise from his teacher.

“That was... absolutely terrible, sir.”

However ridiculous that praise happened to be.

“Shut it, Angle.” There was no bite to his words, and Angus' smile didn't falter. “But you are absolutely right. That was more of a Merle joke, wasn't it?” Taako grinned and, with a snap of his fingers and the magic word, he changed his features to match those of the party cleric. He smirked at Angus, and, in his best Merle voice, said, “I guess you're learning Zone of Truth today, kid, because I don't know any healing spells to teach you.”

Angus tried to stifle a laugh, but ended up giggling as he responded. “Merle, did you go through _second_ dwarf puberty?” Taako's vocal impersonation was spot on, and his spell work was flawless - however, the elf was far too tall to fool anyone. “Or did Taako hit you with a stray _Enlarge_?”

'Merle' looked offended. “What? Taako would never misfire magic like that! Unlike _me_ , his spells never fail!” 'Merle' shook his head, tutting softly. They both had a good laugh.

Taako let his disguise fade as he put his components back in his bag, leaving only a notebook on the table. He flipped through the pages, stopping on one that said Disguise Self on the top in big, bold letters. He handed the open book to Angus, letting him scan the page for the appropriate hand gestures and words for this spell. Taako found that the little nerd learned best by reading information from a textbook, so he began writing up a simple book with information on spells he would be learning. The kid could consult it at any time during a lesson. He even left a little room on the page in case Angus wanted to add notes to it. It had become an in-depth, personalized spellbook.

Angus looked up at Taako, signaling he was ready to begin. “Alright, Angus. For this spell, we want to focus the magic onto the surface of our – well, our everything.” He gestured vaguely at himself, hand waving around in the air in front of him. “Clothes, face, hands- anything visible. At least, that's where we want to end up. Since it's your first try, we'll start small – maybe change up one feature to practice? How's that sound?” Angus nodded as Taako messed with a lock of hair that had come loose from his messy pony tail. He twirled it around a finger, grinning as he gave himself an idea. “Why don't you change up your hairstyle? I'm sure you can make it more... interesting.”

Angus nodded enthusiastically, wand already in hand. “Right away, sir!” his face screwed up in concentration as he thought about his hair; it was growing nicely, but it only reached his shoulders when brushed out. He could picture his new 'do now: a little longer, a little lighter. Maybe he could even make it match Taako's silvery mane of graceful curls, long enough to sit on. He took a deep breath, waved his wand in the air like he'd seen in the book (a little flick, up and to his right) and said the command word.

“ _Dolen.”_ he repeated the elvish word for _hidden_ Taako had just used, accent impeccable.

Taako looked at Angus' hair expectantly. Angus' eyes strained upwards, trying to see his new bangs.

Taako frowned. Nothing had changed. His hair was still dark and fluffy. The movement looked right; the word was definitely pronounced correctly, too. He buried one hand in Angus' dark hair, ignoring the way the boy shied away from the unexpected touch. He checked for any changes, thinking. There wouldn't be anything different in the texture, as Disguise Self was purely visual, but maybe the boy had managed to change the roots, or his scalp, or maybe the length in some way he couldn't quite see from where he had been standing...?

Nope, definitely no change.

Shifting a little closer, he stood slightly behind Angus, resting his free hand on the boy's. “Try again, kiddo.” Angus bit his lip, nodding. He glared at the tip of his wand, grip tight, and concentrated on his hair once again.

From his position, Taako could feel the magic in the boy stir as he flicked his wand. He could feel it bubbling under his skin, through his body, trying to follow his command, and then – nothing.

The spell had fizzled. Again.

Taako pursed his lips; how... strange. The first time he had tried a cantrip hadn't been perfect, but at least there had been an _effect_. Maybe it was this spell? It was fairly simple, but maybe Angus just wasn't good at illusion magic? He sighed, patting the boy's head in what he hoped was a soothing way. “One more try, Aang.”

Angus looked down at the floor, nodding. “Y-yes sir.” This time, Taako felt nothing as the boy went through the steps of the spell once more. Angus sighed. “I think I'm... I'm out of spell slots, sir.” Taako had never heard him sound so defeated.

“Looks like it.” He let Angus go and stood in front of him once more.

“What did I do wrong, sir?” Angus' looked right up at him, determined to fix whatever he had done wrong. Taako was sure the kid was going over the attempts in his head, trying to piece together what could have been the problem.

“That's the thing, kiddo- you did everything perfect.” he cocked his head to the side, putting his hand on Angus' shoulder. “I even felt your magic, trying to come out.”

“Y-you did?” His eyes narrowed as he processed the information. “Why didn't it change my hair, then...?”

“Kid, I have no idea.” he sighed. “Let's- Let's put a pin in that,” he said as he mimed the action, putting a conjured pin into the air, as if placing it into an imaginary cork board, and letting it disappear as he let it go, “and come back to it tomorrow with fresh eyes and even fresher spell slots, hm?”

“Sure thing, sir.” Angus sighed, the excitement from earlier dampened, fizzled out like his failed spell attempt. “What should we do instead?”

“Well, I was thinking, _snack break?_ ” He rummaged through his bag again, bringing out two small glass jars, full of strawberries. No one could be sad when munching on some delicious Neverwinter strawberries.

Angus smiled at his teacher's thoughtfulness, taking the offered snack and sitting down at the desk. As they ate, Taako spent some time quizzing the kid on the various schools of magic. The little nerd got every question right, surprising no one. The amount of raw knowledge little Ango retained should be illegal, and made Taako wonder if the kid was just a sentient encyclopedia. He also wondered if he could stump him with a more personal question.

“Bonus round kiddo, what's my second favorite school of magic?”

“Well, the first would be Transmutation, right sir?”

“Yeah, but that's _obvious_ , Agnes.” he gave the kid a playful push, and Angus squirmed away with a giggle. “What's my _second_ favorite?”

Angus' giggle turned into a laugh, “If I had to guess, from all the mayhem you and the other Reclaimers tend to cause, I'd say you also favor Evocation spells. There's a lot of ways to blow things up with that school of magic.”

“Righto, kiddo! You know me so well.”

In much better spirits, they spent the rest of their lesson practicing Angus' cantrips. He had them down perfectly, but practice never hurt – and maybe the kid could use an ego boost after his first complete failure under Taako's tutelage.

“Alright, Angeline, I'll see you tomorrow. Same time, same place.” They always met at noon – Angus suspected so Taako could get more sleep – in a small room that may have once been someone's office. The desks were dusty, the shelves were empty, and despite Taako's insistence that no one came by here any more, Angus had still asked for the Director's permission to officially turn it into their private lesson room, if only so they didn't mess up another wall in the cafeteria with a stray spell. If the Director's relieved expression was anything to go by, she had the same thought.

“Alright, sir! I can't wait!” and with a small wave, he was off to the cafeteria for his lunch.

As he returned from the food line with his lunch (A pulled pork sandwich, some baby carrots, and a cookie – chocolate chip today), a large, patchwork robot waved him over to a table, “Hey, sugar!” Her metal face couldn't smile, but there was a joy in her accent that didn't need facial expressions to convey. Angus simply face-smiled as he sat with her.

“Hello, No-3113! How have you been?” He knew she didn't need to eat regular food, but he had invited her to have lunch with him. She had seemed a little lost the night before when he had asked her what she usually did before afternoon training.

“Oh, y'know.” Angus could see she was trying to be dismissive, but there was that tone from the night before. She almost sounded sad. “How'd your lessons go?”

Angus frowned as he thought back to his failures. “They've gone better. Taako was trying to teach me _Disguise Self,_ but it didn't quite work out.”

“Oh, you'll get it next time, I'm sure!”

“I hope so. Taako is a really good teacher! He said I learned cantrips lightning fast!” As he remembered that bit of praise from a previous lesson, he sat up a little straighter, feeling his confidence return. No-3113 was absolutely right; he'd get it next time.

No-3113 cocked her head to one side. “Y'know, I would've never pegged Taako as the teachin' type. Or the toleratin' children type.”

Angus laughed. “Yeah, he _says_ he hates kids.”

“Now, I may be just a big ol' floatin' battle-bot but I'm pretty sure you qualify as a kid.” He was glad to hear the smile in her voice again.

“Mr. Taako says that I'm pretty much a tiny adult and that I don't count. Except when I'm being _annoying._ ” Angus made sure to use finger quotes for the word _annoying_.

No-3113 laughed. “And when's that?”

“Any time I correct him.” They both had a good laugh at that. “ _Especially_ if it's a fact about magic.” Taako may not be as stupid as he liked to pretend, but he definitely wasn't as good with raw facts as the young detective.

They talked as Angus ate, about their dorms and about how their various studies and trainings were going. Angus knew two cantrips now; Mage Hand, and Produce Flame. He was competent with both and even showed off a small Produce Flame for No-3113. She was suitably impressed, clapping her hand against her cannon delightedly; Angus gave a little bow after the show, surprised to note that Taako's theatrics were starting to rub off on him. As he sat back down, he asked her what was new in her arsenal.

No-3113 told Angus about the various upgrades she was thinking of getting installed. Her canon arm was a bit too large and hard to maneuver. She was thinking of getting a smaller one installed that would be easier to aim. It may lower her damage output a bit, but she was the team's healer anyways; damage wasn't a priority- however, Killian had also suggested a flame thrower, because it would be really cool, and she was still undecided. She also had added quite a bit to her 'medicine cabinet', the cavity in her chest containing her vials of various potions. She had everything from simple healing potions to restoratives and antidotes now. Soon she would be prepared for anything.

They ended up talking for over an hour, and were definitely the last ones in the cafeteria as they began to wrap up.

“Thanks for invitin' me to lunch, Angus. T'was real sweet of you to think of me.” Angus swore he heard the genuine gratitude in her voice; for a deceased soul in a robot body, she could be very expressive.

“Of course, No-3113!” He said, then sighed. “Honestly, Carey, Killian, and Boyland were already so close, I always kind of felt like an outsider whenever I joined them for training. Now that Boyland is gone, Miss Carey and Miss Killian seem really sad about it, and I'm sad too, but I didn't know him as well, so... any time they share memories about him, it's nice, but... you know.” he shrugged, sighing again. “It's just not the same for me.”

No-3113 nodded understandingly. “Yeah, I hear ya.” She placed her massive robot hand on his tiny, flesh boy shoulder as she spoke. “You were the new kid before me, and us new kids gotta stick together.”

“Exactly!” He smiled up at her, glad he had someone who understood how lonely it can get sometimes, being the new face in any group, especially a tight knit group of adventurers, like Team Sweet Flips - or Tres Horny Boys.

The two agreed to do lunch together more often. It was nice catching up – even if No-3113 didn't eat. Both “New Kids” went back to their rooms to relax for a little while before their training with Team Sweet Flips later that evening.

Back in The Reclaimer's Suite, Taako has been doing some relaxing of his own. The boys had settled into comfortable positions on the couch. Magnus against one arm, Merle on the opposite, Taako stretched out between them. His head was in Merle's lap and his feet in Magnus'. This was Taako's favorite place in the world – small dwarven fingers weaving through his hair, smoothing down stray hairs and fixing his braid, and thick, calloused hands gently rubbing his feet. He was certain he'd dozed off at least twice since they'd settled down. The elf was content to nap their until dinner as usual, and would be doing so, if he hadn't been rudely roused from his semi-sleep by Magnus _brutally pounding on his leg_ (gently patting his calf).  
“Hey, buddy, gotta move your legs - I got stealth training tonight.” He even managed to look a little sorry.

Taako blinked the sleep out of his eyes, grumbling, then tossed his legs off of Magnus' lap with a disgusted huff. “Fine! Too bad they aren't manners lessons, or you'd learn the polite way to wake an elf!”

Merle huffed as the elf sat up, out of his reach, and scooted over to stand on the couch behind Taako. “Get over here you shit, _I wasn't finished._ ” and he continued to braid Taako's soft, elven locks.  
Magnus chuckled and got off the couch, stretching his arms, cracking each joint from his shoulders to his fingertips. “And what is the polite way?”  
Taako shoved Magnus, hands meeting the solid mass of his arm. Magnus did not budge. “Not to wake me up.”

Magnus laughed a little harder at that. “I better tell Ango, so he doesn't get a spell to the face. How did his magic lessons go today?”  
Taako scoffed. “I _thought_ you had some training to get to? It better be important if you had to interrupt my nap, _Morko_!” Merle snorted at the nickname, smirking.

Magnus rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, like you don't sleep twenty hours a day already.” He went to grab his thief's tools from his room, calling back to the living room. “I'll just ask him myself after stealth training! Ango doesn't feel the need to keep quiet about stuff for _no reason_!” Magnus was used to Taako's secretive nature. That didn't mean he had to enjoy it.  
Merle grunted, deep and low in his throat as he tied off Taako's hair. “Maybe he should,” he muttered.

Taako shoved a bony elbow in the dwarf's gut, eliciting a louder and slightly pained grunt. “Are you meeting up with him?”

“Of course! Angus has been getting rogue training longer than I have!” Magnus paused at the door to the suite, equipment at the ready, smiling fondly. “He's really good at it.” He sounded proud.  
“Little goody-two-shoes-works-for-the-militia _Angus McDonald_? Good at _being stealthy_ and _picking locks_ and _other_ roguey shit? I am. _Shocked_.” He made a show of gasping, hand at his breast for effect. “ _Appalled_!”

Magnus laughed heartily as he opened the door and stepped out into the hall. “I'll let him know.”  
“ _Flabbergasted_!” Magnus heard the exclamation as he shut the door behind him. He shook his head, still laughing.

Back in Tres Horny Boys' Suite, Taako turned to Merle. The dwarf narrowed his eyes at his companion, arm hovering over his gut, preparing for another elbow stab. “... _what._ ” The word didn't really come out as a question, or even a statement – it sounded more like an exasperated sigh.

Taako leaned in close, noses almost touching. Warily, Merle leaned in, turning his ear towards Taako, still cautious of sharp elven body parts, but finding his interest piqued. Taako glanced around the room, as if checking for listening ears. When he found none, he cupped a hand around the side of his mouth and whispered into Merle's ear, “I could have been _robbing banks_ with the kid.”

Neither could contain their laughter, and they spent the rest of their night imagining the tiny, responsible, and generally good, good boy attempting to rob a bank.

Stealth training went much more successfully for Angus than Wizard training. Carey had praised his masterful dodges, bestowing the title of “Somersault Champion” to him for the evening. He'd have thought she was patronizing him for his age with the cutesy name if she didn't also give Magnus silly titles when he excelled at something. He was fairly certain Magnus liked the titles more than he did, too. Tonight, however, was not a good night for the man. He did not successfully hide from anyone or anything once the entire evening.

First, he managed to bang knee-first into a corner, yelping out in pain. Not a minute later, he was on the ground, somehow walking straight into the big, metallic, floating No-3113, who had helped him up with a giggle. He tripped over everyone – Killian, Angus, even Carey, and by the end of the night, everyone was ribbing on him.  
“What did Taako call you yesterday? _Mors- Murc-_ I don't know, but it meant _Bear_ , right?” Killian slapped Magnus on the back as he nodded, laughing.

“ _Morko_ , yeah- That's me!”  
“Can we change it to _The Bull in a China Shop_?” Carey could barely hold back her giggles. “What would that even _be_ in Elvish?”

“Well,” Magnus said, looking up at the roof in thought as he remembered his Elvish. “I don't know what _China Shop_ would be, but _The Bull_ is _i'Tarucco_ ”.

“Perfect! We can just call you _The Bull!_ ” Carey said, putting her hands up to the sides of her head and mimicking bull horns as Killian laughed.

“Yeah, since everything you do is pretty much _bullshit_.” Killian yelled out the last word, and Carey lost her composure, letting out a sound that was more wheeze than laughter. Soon, she was doubled over, hyperventilating. Killian patted her back, trying to calm her through her own laughter. “ _Breathe_ , babe. _Breathe_!”

Angus covered his mouth with his hand, unable to keep the smile from his lips. He didn't want to be rude to laugh at Magnus or at Carey. No-3113 was floating right next to him. He only heard the quiet humming of the machinery that kept her hovering.

Magnus, despite having all his friends mock him and his failures, was having a blast, letting out a barking laugh as Carey kneeled onto the floor, still wheezing. He pointed at her, grinning. “And you can be _Quiana M_ _aiwe_ ”

“Wh- what does...” Carey started to speak, then paused. She looked down again, taking a few more gulps of air before looking back up at Magnus, “What does _that_ mean?”

Magnus' grin widened, “ _Wailing Seagull._ ”

Killian's laughter turned to hoots that echoed throughout the empty arena as Carey sputtered. “I do not sound like a wailing seagull!” She turned to Angus, arms flapping around her as she emphasized her words, screaming indignantly, “ _Do I sound like a wailing seagull?_ ”

Magnus responded before Angus could even get a word in.

“No, but you sure look like one!”

Angus snorted; next to him, he heard a sound like a lawn mower failing to start. Even No-3113 was having trouble hiding her amusement.

Before anyone could blink, Carey had tackled him. She wasn't very big, but her skill – and the element of surprise – managed to knock him flat on his ass. Carey's hands curled to fists and she started punching, continuing to scream in Magnus' face, “Can a seagull punch Magnus Burnsides in the face? Huh? _Can it_?”

Magnus raised his arms up, blocking the blows from reaching most of his face. “It would probably hurt just as much as this does!” Angus could not stifle a snort fast enough; thankfully, he was certain only No-3113 heard him. With her humanoid, non cannon hand, she patted his shoulder.

“Why are all these adventurin' types always so rowdy?” She asked, chuckling.

“I don't know, ma'am.” He smiled as Killian scooped Carey up, the tiny dragonborn rogue hissing as she was lifted. She sounded like an irate cat. “I hope they never change.”

Soon, everyone had settled down from their laughing fits and grabbed their dinners, marching over to the big arena where the new recruits were usually tested. There was plenty of room on the bleachers to stretch out and get comfortable, and it was always a nice change of scenery from the regular training areas, as long as it was not in use. They spent their dinner coming up with nicknames for each other, Magnus translating each one to Elvish for the group.

Magnus changed his own nickname to _i'Morko_ , - _The_ Bear. “It just sounds cooler that way.” He said with a proud grin, “I'm not just any bear – I'm _The_ Bear.” he then turned his attention to Killian. “Hey! Remember that big ass crossbow you had when you first met us?”

“Yeah? You mean _the thing I bring to training every single day?_ ” she said, expression a practiced deadpan, eyebrows raised ever so slightly.

“Yeah! That crossbow.” Magnus did not let her attitude get him down. He scrunched up his nose as he thought, “What if you were the... the, uh... _The Really Cool Crossbow_?”

Killian scowled. “What if I was something that didn't completely blow?”

Angus piped up as a thought came to him, “What about _The Crossbow of Strength_ , ma'am?”

“Perfect, Ango!” Magnus paused as he thought of the best way to word the phrase in Elvish. It took him a bit, as he wasn't fluent in the language. “I can't remember the word for crossbow but... what about... _Cu en'Poldara_?”

Killian's eyes narrowed, “That _sounds_ pretty good... but what does it _mean_ , Burnsides?”

“ _Bow of Brute Force._ ”

“That's... Yeah,” She broke into a toothy grin, short tusks leaving dimple like impressions on her cheeks. “that's pretty good, actually. _Coo in'Poll-dara..._ ”

Angus winced as he heard the half-orc destroy her new title. He tapped her on the shoulder. “Uh, Miss Killian?” She turned to him, grateful, as he coached her on her pronunciation. He sounded out each individual sound in the word with her as Carey harassed Magnus for an equally cool nickname.

“What about me, Mags? Me next!” Carey bounced in her seat, spilling a few stray chips from her lunch onto the floor.

Magnus looked at her seriously for a moment.

“But you already have one, _Quiana M_ _aiwe_.”

Carey stilled in her seat and hissed, fangs bared, “If you call me that ever again, Burnsides, I am going to have Taako curse you so you set off every single alarm you ever go within 100 yards of.”

Magnus laughed, hands up in mock surrender, “Alright, alright, I'll think of a better one. We could go with “Dragon of... some rogue shit”?

She shook her head, arms crossed at her chest, “I don't want to be the dragon of rogue bullshit. I want a cool name. A one word name. Like...” She frowned in thought, trying to think of a good example. “oh, you know. That... guy. The famous one.”

“Like Shaft?”

Carey nodded, satisfied. “Exactly like Shaft.”

Magnus snapped his fingers as an idea came to him, “I got it! What about... _Wethrina_? It means...” A short pause, for effect. Then, with a flourish of his hands, he whispered. “... _Deceit_.”

“Oh! Oh! I love it, I love it! Isn't that a great name, Kill?” She grinned as Killian nodded enthusiastically, “...or should I say, _Cu en'Poldara_?”

“Yes, you definitely should say that instead,”

Killian paused, frowning as she sounded out each syllable of the foreign word and trying very hard not to butcher it...

“ _Wea-ther-i-na_.”

… without much success.

Carey snickered.

“ _Wethrina_ , Kill. I'm not a fucking... Weather ballerina.”

“Your accent isn't too bad, Carey!” Magnus patted Carey on the back as she and Killian giggled, “You should help Killian to learn our names when you guys go home tonight.” Carey and Killian agreed that it would be good to practice for both of them. Angus frowned, but he understood. He may be the one with a better grasp on the elven language- and the one who had actually helped Killian sound out her own nickanme- but Carey and Killian slept in the same room, so it only made sense that Carey would help her.

Carey turned her attention to their robot companion, looking her up and down. “What could we call No-3113?”

“Oh, no, I don't need any nicknames! No-3113 is good enough for me.” She gave a nervous giggle. From the tone of her voice, Angus suspected she'd blush if she could.

“I've got it. The perfect thing. It's perfect.” Killian's hands were balled into fists in front of her, trembling, as she tried to contain her excitement. “Metal Medic.”

For just a second, there was absolute silence. Everyone had to pause to take in what had to be the _best thing they had heard all day_.

No-3113 was the first to speak up.

“I think I could live with a name as badass as Metal Medic.”

They all turned to Magnus expectantly, counting for him to deliver. He looked down at the floor as he thought about the name, knowing he could do it justice. He muttered to himself as he put the translation together. “Let's see... the elvish word for 'made of metal' is the same as the word for 'made of iron', but that's fine, she's mostly iron anyways and it means the same thing...” Team Sweet Flips and their Honorary Boy threw in words of encouragement as Magnus muttered to himself, excited to hear what he would give them. “...there's no word for medic, exactly, but a healer is the same thing... so that would be... metal is iron... medic is healer... iron healer...” Magnus pounded a fist into the palm of his hand as he collected his thoughts, exclaiming, “I've got it!” He stood up, pointing at No-3113 as he said, “Now announcing, _Angren Fallaner_!”

Carey, Killian, and Angus all burst into applause, and Magnus threw his fist in the air. No-3113 nodded, the springy coils mimicking hair on her head bouncing with the movement. “I love it, Mags!”

“No problem, Metal Medic!” Killian said. She prepared to (butcher) repeat the Elvish words when Carey spoke up.

“Honestly? I think it sounds better in common.” She grinned at Magnus, and his mouth hung open. He gasped, offended.

“Hey! I worked really hard on that translation!” He turned to No-3113, a desperate, pleading look in his eyes. “You like the Elvish better, don't you?”

“Uh... Honestly?” Her fingers fiddled with a loose panel on her cannon arm as she answered, “I kind of like 'em both, sugar. Can't we alternate?”

Magnus narrowed his eyes at her noncommittal answer, but conceded with a sigh. “Fine, I _guess_.” He threw his arms in the air and continued, “But that's _not_ how you build a brand!”

Angus laughed along with everyone else. After a moment, though, he realized that they had stopped laughing, and were, instead, looking right at him. The sound died in his throat as he wondered if maybe he had misunderstood Magnus' statement. On instinct, he found himself crouching slightly, a leg shifting backwards - ready to flee.

“Um... ladies, sir,” He swallowed nervously before continuing, “... Why are you all... looking at me like that?”

Magnus grinned, wide enough to show off his missing molar. “You're the last one without a sweet nickname, Ango.”

Angus felt the tension leave his body as he stood up straight again. He could never tell when he was actually in trouble with this group. “That's fine, sir! You always have to save the best for last, right?”

Magnus' grin turned to a frown, eyes widening. “Shit, I don't think we can top Metal Medi-,” he paused, glaring at Carey before continuing, “I mean _Angren Fallaner_.”

She grinned back, “Even you can't resist the awesome sound of Metal Medic.”

Magnus groaned, and for a moment, it looked like he was going to respond, inhaling deeply in preparation to begin another argument. Instead, he let out his breath as a gruff exhale, and turned his attention back to Angus. “Let's just think of a good nickname for boy wonder here.”

The group then proceeded to take entirely too long to think of something cool to call the 10 year old detective. Names were thrown out by everyone, but no one could quite pick something that fit the boy quite right. Truth Seeker? Destroyer of Lies? Defender of Knowledge? Rogue Wizard?

Angus shot them all down. “I'm just Angus, sir, the best detective on the moon. I don't think I need any other name.” His lip curled into something resembling a grimace as he finished his statement. “Besides, I get enough silly names from Taako.”

“That is exactly why we need to do this!” Magnus got down on his knees, engulfing Angus' tiny hands in his calloused palms, “If Taako had something really, really cool to call you, he'd never call you anything else ever again!”

Angus laughed at that, “No, sir, I'm pretty sure Taako does what he wants to, and what Taako wants to do is call me Agnes forever.”

Magnus frowned, incapable of accepting no for an answer. He turned to Team Sweet Flips for help. The four of them kept going through more names, too caught up in the moment to think about how ridiculous they were being, or how little these nicknames even mattered. Of course, that's how it always was with this crew – being ridiculous was the key to forgetting all the harsh realities of their jobs and having some fun between missions to save the world. Angus smiled, chin resting in his hand, content to watch some of his favorite people bicker playfully until bed time. They must have gone through a dictionary page's worth of increasingly awful names when Angus felt a familiar buzzing from around his neck. He frowned; who would be contacting him now?

He pulled out his stone of farspeech, turning away from the small scuffle that had broken out between Killian and Magnus. He was fairly certain that they had been arguing about whether silent could mean the same thing as sneak. He smiled as the Director's deep voice came through the stone. “Hello? Angus? Are you there?”

“Yes, ma'am! Was there something you needed?” He wondered if it was a new seeker mission.

“I realize it's late, but could you come by my office for a moment?”

He sure hoped it was a new mission.

“Yes, ma'am, right away!” He put the stone back in his pocket and hopped off the bench, catching No-3113's attention.

“Where are ya goin', hun?” she asked, floating away from what had become an impromptu wrestling match.

Angus smiled, “The Director called me to her office. I'd say goodbye to the others, but...” He turned his attention to the 'adults' on the ground. “They look a little busy.”

From the looks of it, Killian was winning, as she had Magnus' arms twisted into a very uncomfortable looking position. Carey cheered for Killian as Magnus glared up at his mentor, looking betrayed. “You _traitor_!” he hollered, and if it had been anyone else pinning him, Angus would have suspected it was an act.

No-3113 chuckled, turning her attention back to Angus. “Yeah, they sure do. Lil' Hooligans.” She smiled and gave Angus a little wave. “Well, I won't keep ya. Lunch again tomorrow?”

“Sounds good! Goodbye, Miss No-3113! Goodnight.” He waved back, then quickly made his exit from the arena and back to the main dome of the facility.

Angus always enjoyed walking the campus of the Bureau of Balance. The base's atmosphere was always just the right temperature, around 76°F, always pleasantly dry, and you could always feel just the hint of a breeze in the air. He guessed the gentle wind came from the moon's orbit around the planet.

After a brisk walk, he stood at the threshold of the Director's office. He paused to straighten out some of the wrinkles in his dress shirt. He checked his face in the polished glass of an ornamental mirror on the wall, smoothing down a few unruly curls and wiping a dark smudge off his cheek. He may no longer be part of high class society, but it was always important to look presentable to his superiors – especially if you're an ten year old boy trying to be taken seriously by adults. Even if he had just come from training, he would sooner be caught dead than be seen in the Director's office with a rumpled shirt.

Satisfied, he knocked at the door to his boss's office. Three short raps, soft and polite but audible in the quiet space of Madame Director's office.

The door opened before him, revealing The Director at her chair, looking up from the file she had been sifting through and waving him in.

“Come in, Angus, have a seat.” He did as asked, taking the seat directly in front of her desk. The Director's blue tinged Mage Hand closed the door behind him, then disappeared, task complete.

“Good evening, Madame Director. Do you have a mission for me?” Unable to reach the floor, he kicked his legs at the air in front of him as he got comfortable.

“I do, my boy.” She took another look at the contents of the file as she spoke, checking to make sure all was in order. “This is a... sensitive mission. When you were brought on, I'm sure you were made aware of the Red Robes and what trouble they caused for everyone.” Angus nodded, stilling in his chair. What kind of mission could involve a group that had long since disappeared? Unless- “I have reason to believe at least one of them is still at large.” His eyes went wide as she finished his thought. Immediately, his brain went into over drive. He paused, looking down at the desk pensively for a moment. When he looked back up at Lucretia, she could see the gears in his head turning.

“Why do you think that, ma'am?” his tone has changed from politely professional to something more serious, more determined. Lucretia was sure this was the same voice he used when interrogating a witness.

Or a suspect.

“He has shown himself to the Reclaimers. Twice.” she answered. “He seems to be taunting them. I would send you to interview them directly, however...” She exhaled sharply through the nose, hand on her forehead. “They don't like to listen to my instructions. I've told them not to interact with him, that if he appears again, not to say a word to him-” She chuckles, shaking her head. “but I think you've realized just how bad they are at following rules.”

Angus rolls his eyes, nodding. “Yes, ma'am. I understand.” He cocked his head to the side, eyebrow raised. “However, I have to ask... are you forbidding me from interviewing them?”

Lucretia sighed again. “No, I am not forbidding it, but I ask you use your best judgment. I do not want to put anyone in any more danger. No one should speak to this... this man.”

“The way you speak about him, it sounds like you're not quite convinced he is a Red Robe.”

Lucretia nodded. “I am not sure. Not completely. I have very little information to go on. Snippets of overheard conversation, and the Reclaimer's scattered account of what happened.” She shook her head, looking away from Angus and muttering something about how they couldn't even remember to bring their dice. Angus ignored the strange comment, sure he had misheard, as the Director continued. “Regardless.” She straightened up, handing Angus the file. “Your mission is to find out who this is, and what they want.” He took it, opening it up and scanning the pages as she continued. “We don't have much to go on, but this is what information we could get. You are authorized to go planet side if you feel the need to.”

Angus closed up the file and stood up from his chair. He looked the Director in the eyes, and said, “I won't let you down, ma'am.”

She smiled fondly. “I know you won't, Angus.” She reached over, tousling his thick, curly hair.

He gave a little huff of protest and batting her hand away with the file. He was trying to be serious! And cool!

The Director could not hold back a chuckle. This boy was precious. “Alright, world's greatest detective, go get some rest so you can solve our greatest mystery.”

He nodded, tucking the file under his arm so he could extend a hand for the Director to shake. “Goodnight, ma'am.” He knew you always have to stay professional and serious, even if no one else would see you that way.

She took it firmly in hers. “Goodnight, Angus.”

They parted ways, and, despite everything, as he exited the office, a smile crept onto his face.

Angus McDonald had a new case to crack. The World's Greatest Detective was back in his element.

 

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be... a little self indulgent, but hey, isn't that what fanfiction is about? It's going to be mostly exploring the dynamic between Taako and Angus, but the more i write the more characters get mixed up in there. The title is subject to change as I honestly can't think of a good one? Feel free to leave a suggestion for a title.
> 
> I could write an essay about how much i love Angus McDonald tbh. 
> 
> I wrote 7k words for chapter one and plan on writing twenty chapters.  
> pray for me.


End file.
